A bike-sharing company plans to significantly expand its fleet of cycles available to hire in Cambridge.

Chinese-owned ofo was set to triple the number of bikes in the city to 150 yesterday (July 25).

The major new roll out of cycles comes after a three month long trial of ofo's dockless bike hire format.

It also plans to work in partnership with city employers to encourage workers to commute by bike.

150 ofo bikes will be available across Cambridge (Image: ofo)

Joseph Seal-Driver, ofo UK operations director, said: "Since we launched our beta trial in Cambridge three months ago, we’ve been working with the city and residents to show how ofo can benefit the city with every ride, from reducing congestion and air pollution to making commutes faster and more fun."

"We want to encourage as many people as possible to adopt cycling as their preferred method of getting around the city.

"With demand for the service growing daily, we’re thrilled to be rolling out an enhanced service that will make it even easier for people to get on two wheels."

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Operating in 81 cities across the world, ofo's bikes are hired through a smartphone app and can be picked up and dropped off without the need for a fixed docking station.

Once their ride is complete, users close the lock to complete their ride and make it available for the next person to use. A Cambridge ride will cost 50p per 30 minutes from August.

Ofo is working with large employers to encourage staff to commute via bike (Image: ofo)

The company introduced a small 20 bike trial to Cambridge in April after residents and the council raised concerns about safety, theft and vandalism. Later in the trial it expanded its fleet to 50 bikes.

Ofo said that its bikes have been used an average of two to three times a day since the trial's launch - a rate it claimed compares to the initial roll out of London's Boris Bikes.

The company now aims to offer more bikes with improved features following a "successful" trial and consulting with Cambridge City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council.

Mr Seal-Driver added: "From our beta phase in Cambridge, we now have a proven model of how dockless bike-sharing can be introduced into cities successfully and responsibly.

"The residents of Cambridge have helped pioneer a new way of exploring cities, and we are confident we can bring the benefits of ofo to other cities around the UK."